SAFE Act meant big change for small Canandaigua company

CANANDAIGUA — A local business had to make an expensive decision after the New York SAFE Act made the gun they build illegal.

A pistol grip, which allows the gun to fire faster and with more accuracy, prevented Just Right Carbines in Canandaigua from selling its gun in New York state. The business made the difficult decision to change its gun after taking a financial hit because of the SAFE Act.

The law, signed into law in January, requires federal background checks for all gun sales; restricts magazines to holding up to seven rounds; requires checks by a licensed gun dealer for private sales; and mandates that all-guns must be stored away safely in a case.

The small Canandaigua company is still feeling the burn, almost a year after its gun was banned by the state.

Tom Farnogli, Just Right Carbines co-owner, said, "When the SAFE Act came in, they made it impossible for us to do business in the state, so consequently we lost revenue."

It was important for Farnogli and his partners to stay in the area. After all, 80 percent of the parts used to build the gun are made locally, so now they have created a new version that seems to be "SAFE Act proof."

"It looks a little weird, but when you hold it in your hand and you grip it like it is meant to be shot, it actually is a very comfortable grip," said Anthony Testa, Just Right Carbines general manager.

The change didn't come easy.

"We've spent numerous hours and thousands and thousands of dollars so we can make this happen just so we can do business in New York state," Farnogli said.

The owners say, since the SAFE Act isn't very specific, they had several government officials look at their design to make sure it didn't violate the act. The company has already been selling the gun to local shops. So far, so good.

"We made all the changes we can possibly make to comply with New York state law," Farnogli said. "That's all we're looking for, is a fair state to do our business. Nobody said it's not legal, so we're continuing on our quest."